In the final "dress rehearsal" before the new season, Liverpool showed their superior strength when they won two consecutive victories against Athletic Bilbao in a series of friendly matches at home ground Anfield.
Rio Ngumoha makes his mark in first match
In the first match taking place at 11pm (August 4), coach Arne Slot fielded a squad consisting mostly of young and reserve players.
However, Liverpool quickly created an overwhelming situation and took just two minutes to break the deadlock with a goal from Rio Ngumoha.
16-year-old Rio Ngumoha shines with opening goal in 2nd minute
Less than three minutes later, Darwin Núñez received a pass from Ngumoha and increased the lead with a neat finish.
Darwin Nunez has a chance to score
The constant pressure made Bilbao's defense confused. In the 42nd minute, goalkeeper Álex Padilla let the ball bounce into his own net after a cross from Ben Doak, "helping" Liverpool increase the score to 3-0.
In the second half, Harvey Elliott scored the fourth goal for the Anfield team in the 58th minute. Although Gorka Guruzeta scored a consolation goal in the 76th minute, Athletic Bilbao could not turn the situation around, accepting a 1-4 defeat.
Liverpool's young stars speak out in first match
Rio Ngumoha – only 16 years old – was the biggest highlight of the match. The striker born in 2008 played confidently, moved intelligently and contributed 1 goal, 1 assist in the 45 minutes on the field. The British press unanimously praised this "gem" as the future of Anfield.
Gakpo "do it all, eat it all"
In the match taking place at 2:00 (August 5), Liverpool used almost the strongest lineup with the presence of key players such as Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and new players such as Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike...
From the start, the overwhelming attacking play continued. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring early, but Sancet equalized 1-1 for Bilbao after a sharp counter-attack.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the second match
Cody Gakpo put Liverpool ahead 2-1 but he then unfortunately scored an own goal, helping the Spanish representative equalize 2-2. However, Gakpo quickly made amends with the decisive goal in the last minute, sealing a 3-2 victory for "The Kop".
The rookie stars show their expected roles
This match saw a Liverpool team with great pace, good coordination and almost absolute control of the game. However, Athletic Bilbao also impressed with their fighting spirit and dangerous counter-attacking ability, despite being seriously depleted by a series of injuries.
Impressive rehearsal, Ngumoha scores
Ending the pre-season friendlies with two wins, scoring a total of seven goals and conceding just three, Liverpool had a promising start.
The quick integration of many new recruits along with the emergence of young faces such as Ngumoha, Doak, Chambers... helps coach Arne Slot have more tactical options.
Jeremie Frimpong is powerful on the left flank
As for Athletic Bilbao, two consecutive defeats are not too surprising when they do not have their strongest squad.
However, what worries the coaching staff is the fact that key players like Sancet and Yuri are injured, affecting the preparation plan for the upcoming friendly match with Arsenal.
Liverpool complete summer campaign with highest optimism
While mainstays like Salah and Gakpo played their roles well, Rio Ngumoha deserves to be the name mentioned most after these two matches.
Not only scoring goals, he also showed his bravery, sharpness and fighting spirit that are not inferior to any of his seniors. Liverpool fans have the right to expect this to be the new star of the team in the near future.
Liverpool will open the new season with the Community Shield (also known as the Community Shield) against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace on the evening of August 10. Bilbao, meanwhile, will continue to stay in England, waiting to play a friendly against Arsenal on the night of August 9 before returning home to open the new La Liga season with a match against Sevilla on August 18.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/than-dong-ngumoha-toa-sang-liverpool-dai-thang-bilbao-2-tran-sieu-giao-huu-196250805064758383.htm
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